Coaxial cables transmit radio frequency (“RF”) signals between transmitters and receivers and are used to interconnect plants and provider equipment with electronic components such as televisions, cable boxes, DVD players, satellite receivers, modems, and other electrical devices having a coaxial port. Typical coaxial cables include an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible dielectric insulator, a foil layer, a conductive metallic tubular sheath or shield, and a polyvinyl chloride jacket. The RF signal is transmitted through the inner conductor. The conductive tubular shield provides a ground and inhibits electrical and magnetic interference with the RF signal in the inner conductor.
Coaxial cables must be fit with cable connectors before they may be coupled to electrical devices. Connectors typically have a connector body, a coupling nut or threaded fitting mounted for rotation on an end of the connector body, a bore extending into the connector body from an opposed end to receive the coaxial cable, and an inner post within the bore coupled in electrical communication with the fitting.
There are many different types of coaxial cable connectors, and each type has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. For example, generally, most connectors are crimped onto a prepared end of a coaxial cable with a tool to apply the connector to the coaxial cable. Crimping can provide a very secure fit, but occasionally results in a crushed coaxial cable which delivers a signal degraded by leakage, interference, or poor grounding. As another example, while some coupling nuts of connectors are so tightly mounted to the connector body that threading the connector onto the post of an electrical device can be incredibly difficult, other connectors have fittings that are mounted too loosely and the electrical connection between the fitting and the inner post can be disrupted when the fitting moves off of the post. Still further, some connectors, if applied too loosely to the cable itself, will actually come off of the cable, completely severing the RF connection between the transmitter and the electrical device. Yet further, connectors typically must be installed with a tool onto a cable, and for those that do not require installation tools, a good quality connection is very difficult to achieve between the cable and the connector. Other cable connectors can be pushed onto the cable, or onto the coaxial port, but such connectors do not always provide a secure fit onto the cable or the port. Still other connectors are susceptible to water and moisture ingress. An improved connector for coaxial cables is needed.